氯喹导致大鼠肌组织载脂蛋白E大量表达

载脂蛋白E(ApoE)与迟发的家族性及孤发性阿尔茨海默(Alzheimer)病密切相关. 氯喹慢性中毒可诱发某些肌病理改变, 出现β淀粉样蛋白(βAP)与tau蛋白等的沉积, 与Alzheimer脑中见到的病理改变类似. 为分析这一改变的机制, 用逆转录结合多聚酶链反应技术(RT-PCR)对氯喹处理的大鼠肌肉中ApoE表达的改变进行了研究. 在PCR定量中采用了一种稳定表达的内源性甘油醛-3-磷酸脱氢酶mRNA作为内部参照. PCR扩增在很宽的循环数范围内成线性, 且靶mRNA与参照mRNA的扩增效率相当. 氯喹处理后大鼠肌肉中ApoE mRNA的表达从第6周开始增加, 第8周后超过对照组的20多倍. 结果提示, ApoE在氯喹慢性中毒所致的大鼠肌病理改变中发挥某些作用.     

Schistosoma mansoni: SmLIMPETin, a member of a novel family of invertebrate-only regulatory proteins

Eukaryotic LIM domain proteins contain zinc finger forming motifs rich in cysteine and histidine that enable them to interact with other proteins. A cDNA clone isolated from an adult schistosome cDNA library revealed a sequence that coded for a novel class of proteins bearing 6 LIM domains and an N-terminal PET domain, SmLIMPETin. Phylogeny reconstruction of SmLIMPETin and comparison of its sequence to invertebrate homologues and to the vertebrate four-and-a-half LIM domains protein family (FHLs), uncovered a novel LIM domain protein family, the invertebrate LIM and PET domain protein family (LIMPETin). Northern blots, RT-PCR and Western blot showed that SmLIMPETin gene was less expressed in sexually mature adult females compared to sexually immature adult females and sexually mature and immature adult males, and not expressed in schistosomula.     

cDNA cloning and expression of a potato (Solanum tuberosum) invertase

A cDNA clone encoding an invertase isoenzyme has been isolated from a potato leaf cDNA library. The deduced amino acid sequence shows significant similarities to previously characterised invertases. The highest degree of overall similarity, including the signal peptide sequence, is to carrot cell wall invertase, suggesting that the potato gene encodes an apoplastic enzyme. Expression of the gene, as determined by RT-PCR, is detected in stem and leaf tissue, and at lower levels in tuber, but is absent from roots.     

Reliability and time-of-day effect on measures of change of direction deficit in young healthy physical education students

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to examine the reliability and the time-of-day effect of the 505 change of direction (CoD), 10-m sprint, and change of direction deficit test (CoDD). At two different time of days, 39 young diurnally active physical education male students performed different physical tests: 505 CoD, and sprint tests. Measurements were taken at two separate testing sessions, i.e. in the morning (07:00–08:30 h) and early evening (17:00–18:30 h) in a randomized and counter-balanced setting on nonconsecutive days in 21 of them (21.5 ± 1.5 y of age). The results showed that the 505 CoD test, 10-m sprint, and CoDD performances were a reliable test, and performances were better in the evening the 505 CoD, 10-m sprint, and CoDD testing provided reliable and sensitive scores. In addition, phase 2 showed that CoD, speed, and CoDD are affected by the time of day.     

Temporal pattern of locomotor activity in Drosophila melanogaster

The temporal pattern of locomotor activity of single Drosophila melanogaster flies freely walking in small tubes is described. Locomotor activity monitored by a light gate has a characteristic time-course that depends upon age and the environmental conditions. Several methods are applied to assess the complexity of the temporal pattern. The pattern varies according to sex, genotype, age and environmental conditions (food; light). Activity occurs clustered in bouts. The intrinsic bout structure is quantified by four parameters: number of light gate passages (counts) per bout, duration of a bout, pause between two successive bouts and mean bout period. In addition, the distribution of the periods between light-gate crossings (inter-count intervals) as function of inter-count interval duration reveals a power law, suggesting that the overall distribution of episodes of activity and inactivity has a fractal structure. In the dark without food, the fractal dimension which represents a measure of the complexity of the pattern is sex, genotype and age specific. Fractality is abolished by additional sensory stimulation (food; light). We propose that time-course, bout structure and fractal dimension of the temporal pattern of locomotor activity describe different aspects of the fly's central pattern generator for locomotion and its motivational control. Accepted: 10 October 1998